Airbus duo rapped for posting photos of tragic air crash

TWO Airbus workers who took photos of a horror plane crash and posted them online have been disciplined, the company confirmed.

Pictures from a plane crash at Hawarden Airport in November, which were taken on the Airbus site in Broughton, surfaced on social media websites shortly after the crash.

The pilot of the plane, Gary Vickers, 58, and his partner Kaye Clarke, 42, both of Chester, were on their way back to the city from Paris when the plane crashed. Both were killed.

Airbus, who run Hawarden Airport next to their wingmaking site in Broughton, has a policy that prohibits the taking and distribution of photographs on its sites.

Yesterday, a company spokesman confirmed that two unnamed members of staff were the subjects of disciplinary action after images they had taken of the crash appeared online.

The spokesman said: “Airbus can confirm that an investigation was launched after photographs were taken on the Broughton site following the tragic accident in November and shared on social media channels.

“In common with many manufacturing facilities, we do not allow photography on site except by authorised people and only under certain circumstances.

“As a result of this investigation, we can confirm that two people working on the Broughton site were found to be in breach of company procedures and were subject to the associated disciplinary action.

“For reasons of confidentiality we are not able to provide further details on the nature of this disciplinary action.”

The spokesman would not confirm whether the staff members were currently working at the site.

Mr Vickers and Ms Clarke had been travelling back from a shopping trip to Paris when their twin engine light aircraft came down at Hawarden Airport just after 1pm.

Mr Vickers was pronounced dead at the scene and Ms Clarke was taken to the Countess of Chester Hospital, where she later died.

Mr Vickers, who co-owned the Mill Hotel in Chester with his father Gordon, was described as an exceptional pilot who had years of flying experience.

Post-mortem examinations revealed Mr Vickers died from head and chest injuries while Miss Clarke died from shock and haemorrhaging.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is continuing to investigate the crash.